Dear CST Family,

We kick off the school year this Tuesday--alright! This start has been a long time coming. Our teachers have worked tirelessly over the past couple weeks; our counselors over the past couple months. While I don't need to explain how this is a unique year, I will share that in this unique time, even while learning new processes, new systems, and basically, a new way to do the profession, our teachers are excited and ready to see our kids again. Simply, things will begin to feel more "right" once we begin with our kids. The overwhelming sentiment in the building this past week was "we got this, let's see our kids, let's get the year started!"

I want to thank you all for your patience and understanding as we've prepared for the school year. Every household is impacted by how school is structured and I know this can present significant challenges and stresses on families. Sincerely, thank you and know how excited we are to welcome your students on Tuesday...let's get the year started!

Rick

Week at a glance...

***Self-paced Virtual Back to School Night is coming! Watch for a document drop with links to each teacher sharing their back to school night presentation--more details coming soon!***

Monday, 9/7

• Labor Day--No School
  

Tuesday, 9/8

• First Day of School (All System wide Remote Learning)
• See bell schedules below
  

Wednesday, 9/9

• It's Wednesday!
  

Thursday, 9/10

• Chiefs vs Texans--7:20pm @ Arrowhead Stadium
  

Friday, 9/11

• September 11th --19 year anniversary
  

Upcoming Important Dates...

• Monday 9/7 School closed- Labor Day

• Tuesday 9/8--First day for all students (7:50am)--All Students Begin in Remote Learning
  

District Info: Re-Open 2020

• Re-open2020: https://www.olatheschools.org/Page/10371
  
• FAQs: https://www.olatheschools.org/Page/10370
• Comprehensive Return to School Plan: https://www.olatheschools.org/Page/10415

The first day of school picture looks different this year not reporting to campus, but certainly feel free to take that first day picture before the school day gets started--feel free to tag @CSTWildcatsMS on Twitter as well! However, once the day begins we ask for our students to be as free from distractions as possible (refer to the PDF and screen grab below). For the benefit of all our students, please help us promote an academic classroom free from on-screen and in-room distractions, including pets, siblings/other people, games, etc. Thank you for your support with this effort.

Some tips and best practices for your child as we begin remote learning. Consider sitting down and talking through these points with your child. This will help establish the best possible learning environment at home and may help answer some questions as well. The PDF of this file is below along with a screen grab of the file.

Those who registered for in-person learning will follow the schedule below. The day starts with Academic Extension (CAT time) and finishes with 7 minutes of CAT time which is as/if needed. This schedule was communicated through a district email and can be found in the PDF below the schedule.

Below is the schedule followed by remote learners. There is no CAT time in this schedule but all else remains the same. This schedule was communicated through a district email and can be found in the PDF below the schedule.

A good habit for students to learn will be how to access and to frequently check their email. Students can access their email by finding the "Class Link" icon on their desktop, go to Google Tools, then to Gmail. Teachers may need to send links, content, etc. While students have had these email addresses for years, its use has been limited. This is a good year to develop the habit to frequently check email.

Technology and Learning Help Desk
Parents and students in need of technology or learning system help can contact the Technology and Learning Help Desk via phone at (913) 780-8058 or via email to helpdesk@olatheschools.org. The Help Desk will be open from 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Default password when devices were issued was 20Wildcats! (case sensitive)

If this doesn't work you can work through the directions in the PDF below...

Need technical support? Go here for solutions and direction...consider bookmarking this page.

https://www.olatheschools.org/domain/3042

For Technical Support for students and families, please call the Olathe Public Schools Help Desk at 913.780.8058.

Surface Go Tip

If students are unable to connect to WiFi (example: worked one day but not the other):

o Press and hold the Power button until the screen goes black (ignore the “swipe to shut down PC” option)

o Press Power button again

o Give it a minute to restart – this should “kick out” new updates to Surface Go

(Just another way to update!)

Kajeet SmartSpot

What is a Kajeet SmartSpot?

• A Kajeet SmartSpot provides internet access via a mobile hotspot. These hotspots allow Olathe Public School students access to educational resources anywhere.

Who can apply for a Kajeet SmartSpot?

• Olathe Public School students who do not have internet access at home may apply for a Kajeet SmartSpot. You can apply here Kajeet SmartSpot Application

• Applicants must agree that they do not currently have internet access at home. Kajeet SmartSpots are available on a first come first serve basis.

• Once the application has been approved a member of the Olathe Public Schools Technology staff will contact you to schedule a time to pick up the device.

Kajeet SmartSpot Terms and Conditions

• Kajeet SmartSpots are filtered for educational use only. Social media, streaming, and entertainment sites cannot be accessed.

• Kajeet SmartSpots are monitored for usage to ensure that they are being used appropriately. If there is low usage, if you gain internet access at home, or if inappropriate content is accessed students will be required to return the device.

• Loss or damage to a Kajeet SmartSpot will result in a replacement fee of $99.97.

Kajeet SmartSpot (Internet gratuito)

¿Qué es Kajeet SmartSpot?

• Kajeet SmartSpot brinda acceso a internet a través de un dispositivo móvil. Dichos dispositivos permiten que los estudiantes del distrito escolar de Olathe accedan a los recursos educativos desde cualquier sitio.

¿Quién puede aplicar para Kajeet SmartSpot?

• Aquellos estudiantes del distrito de Olathe que no tengan acceso a internet en su casa pueden aplicar para obtener un dispositivo Kajeet SmartSpot. Acceda a la solicitud desde aquí Kajeet SmartSpot Application

• Aquellos que apliquen, deben reconocer que no en estos momentos no tienen acceso a internet desde su casa. Los dispositivos Kajeet SmartSpots están disponibles según el orden en que fueron solicitados.

• Una vez la solicitud haya sido aprobada, un miembro del personal del departamento de tecnología del distrito de Olathe, se contactará con usted para acordar el horario en que tendrá que recoger el dispositivo.

Términos y condiciones para obtener un Kajeet SmartSpot

• Los dispositivos Kajeet SmartSpots son filtrados para que su uso solamente sea educativo. No se puede acceder a medios sociales, transmisiones en vivo y sitios de entretenimiento.

• Los dispositivos Kajeet SmartSpots son monitoreados para asegurarnos el uso apropiado del mismo. Si el uso es bajo, si instala internet en su domicilio o, si los estudiantes acceden a contenido inapropiado, entonces se les requerirá que el dispositivo sea devuelto.

• Pérdida o daño a Kajeet SmartSpot resultará en que usted pague un costo de reemplazo por $99.97.

Dear CST Family,

As a reminder, student schedules were released today (9/4). Please note 2nd semester classes will not be visible at this time due to the current unknowns about how many students will select remote and in-person learning for 2nd semester. In addition, we will not be doing schedule changes for first semester unless there is a scheduling error. Counselors have worked diligently to prepare schedules and have made it a priority to assign students doing in-person learning into electives they selected (whether as a request or an alternate choice).

You should have already received a district communication with instructions on how to log in and access classes on Tuesday and those instructions will be re-posted in the upcoming Weekly Wildcat. You will hear from your child's teachers soon and will receive the parent newsletter for the week of 9/7 from me as well.

Please pardon the uptick in communication at this time. We are preparing for Tuesday and are encouraging parents and students to watch the tutorial videos. Our teachers also want to connect with your child! In addition,remote learning guidelines and best practices will be in the newsletter to help promote a successful start Tuesday morning. Please know how appreciative we are for your patience and flexibility as we've moved through this process.

Have a wonderful day and let us know if we can be of support.

Rick Sola, principal

Lunch and Breakfast Pick-up at CST--the short version...

We will plan on curbside pick-up in front of the school. Food will be hot and bagged ready to hand off. First day instructions...

1. Please have your kids with you the first time you pick up meals
2. You'll receive a red card you can use after that for meal pick up (instead of bringing all kids every day)
3. If you haven't yet registered, you can go to their website and do that---click https://www.olatheschools.org/Page/10605
   
4. Registering for meals each week helps our kitchen staff with meal counts
5. More details in earlier emails (below) and linked
   

(more details and info previously shared)

Carryout Meal Service

Students who are receiving remote instruction while the District is operating under any of the learning models will have carryout breakfasts and lunches available for pick-up at their home school.

These meals must be pre-ordered via the MyPaymentsPlus.com website or mobile app 1-week in advance of the week the meals are wanted. You may pick up your meals at whichever site is most convenient.

The meals will be boxed/bagged during lunch time from the serving line in the lunch room. You will pick up and pay for the carryout meals inside the front entrance of the school.

Facemasks are required to be worn when picking up meals.

Breakfast and lunch meals are free of charge for all children ages 1-18 years old

To ensure the Federal limit of only serving 1-breakfast and 1-lunch to each child each day is met, the following procedure will be in place for picking up carryout meals:

On the first day you choose to pick up carryout meals, have all children present with you at the school pick-up location. If this isn’t possible, you may arrive the first day and explain your extenuating circumstance.

You will be issued the cards needed and the number of children for whom you’ll be picking up meals will later be verified. You will be issued one carryout meal card for each of the children for whom you’ll be picking up meals. From that point on, you only need to bring the cards for the children for whom you’re picking up meals – the children will no longer need to be present.

Carryout Meal Pick-up Times

Middle School Breakfast and Lunch Pick up time: 11:30am-12:30pm on School Days

High School Breakfast and Lunch Pick up time: 10:30am - 12:00pm on School Days

(Exception: No meal service will be available on September 25th or October 9th)

All this info and more can be found HERE!

Olathe families,

The Food Services division of Olathe Public Schools wanted to share a few updates regarding student meals. Earlier this week, the USDA announced they would be extending flexibilities for the summer food service program to run through December 2020 or until Federal money is no longer available. This means school breakfast and lunch will be served free of charge to all children aged 1-18.

If you have already pre-ordered for a week of meals, we ask that you honor the location you have selected. Moving forward, when you place a meal pre-order, you will be able to choose a location most convenient to you for daily pickup.

To ensure the district and families are following USDA regulations, on the first day you choose to pick up carryout meals, please have all children present at the school pick up location. If having your children with you isn’t possible, you may arrive and explain the circumstance and receive the meal cards. The number of children for whom you’ll be picking up meals will later be verified.

The carryout hours are:

Elementary Carryout Meal Pickup Time

11:00 -12:45

Middle School Carryout Meal Pickup Time

11:30 - 12:30

High School Carryout Meal Pickup Time

10:30 - 12:00

Food Services' website has been updated to make it easier to find the Pre-ordering information along with an instructional video: https://www.olatheschools.org/domain/2915

Due to the limited time we anticipate the free meal funding may be available, it is important that families continue to submit updated free/reduced meal applications if there are any changes in household size or income. Household applications are accepted throughout the school year and, if approved, are effective through the last day of the 2020-2021 school year. In addition, households must still apply for meal benefits to be eligible for building fee and/or bus transportation discounts.

If you have questions, please contact Food Services at catering@olatheschools.org or (913) 780-7005.

Sincerely,

Olathe Public Schools Food Services

Olathe Public Schools parents,

As we approach the first day of school on Tuesday, September 8, we wanted to share some vital information for families to get ready for the school year ahead.

ParentVUE and StudentVUE Training for Parents
With the expanded use of ParentVUE and StudentVUE as the district’s learning management system, helping parents navigate the system is vitally important. The district will be offering parents ParentVUE training to teach families how to log into ParentVUE and StudentVUE, how to access student course and class content and the class website for each teacher.

The parent trainings will take place via Zoom. See attached flier for more information on dates, times and how to sign up. Additionally, if you would like to watch a video to learn how to log in and use ParentVUE and/or StudentVUE prior to the trainings, you can access videos in English and Spanish. Here is a direct link to the ParentVUE video tutorials in English and Spanish: https://bit.ly/2EZDa9K. Here is a direct link to the StudentVUE video tutorials in English and Spanish: https://bit.ly/3bgE4uN.

Technology and Learning Help Desk
Parents and students in need of technology or learning system help can contact the Technology and Learning Help Desk via phone at (913) 780-8058 or via email to helpdesk@olatheschools.org. The Help Desk will be open from 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Mental Health Support for Families
The mental health and social emotional growth of our students is a great focus in the Olathe Public Schools. Attached is a document that outlines various ways our families can seek support. Please reach out to your child’s school if you feel your child needs help and support.

Student Learning Logs
Learning logs have been shared with you and our community as a requirement of KSDE for students when they are learning at home. However, KSDE has recently shared the specific situations that will require learning logs. In Olathe, we will have very few, if any, situations where this will be needed. If students have access to daily live instruction and we take attendance when we see students participating, we should meet the requirements.

District Parent Guide
The Parent Guide to the Olathe Public Schools: This helpful guide will serve as an informational tool for you in addition to resources readily available on our district website www.olatheschools.org. The guide contains information on the Board of Education, a listing of feeder schools, transportation, health services, safe schools, student information, directory information, FERPA and school hours.

Please visit with your building principal, if you have any questions.

Best wishes for an outstanding year!

Olathe Public Schools Administration

Parent_Training_for_Synergy.pdf (8.3 MB)
Mental_Health_brochure_ENGLISH.pdf (179.9 KB)
08102020_English_Parent_Guide_ENGLISH.pdf (741.7 KB)

Interested in joining CST's parent site council? We'll meet at least 4 times this school year to discuss current topics, questions, and direction of the school and district. Click below to sign up.

20-21 Site Council

Middle school parents,
We wanted to provide you with an update on middle level sports. After careful consideration, middle school sports for the fall season are suspended until full-time, in-person learning begins. This includes dance, cheer, cross country, volleyball, and football. Once in-person learning begins the matter of fall sports will be re-assessed.

We will provide more information as it becomes available. Additionally, just a friendly reminder that middle school schedules will be available in ParentVUE starting on Sept. 4.

Please reach out to your building principal with individual questions. Thank you for your understanding.

Olathe Public Schools Administration

A brief intro video shared with staff--reminding us of our students; our purpose...proud to be a wildcat!

CST sports are set to begin on 9/8, the first day of school. Per the info below, we encourage physicals to be completed ahead of time and turned into the office for verification of clearance to play. The constant caveat, of course, is the situation is fluid and subject to change. Once new game schedules are created for the fall seasons (VB, FB, XC) this section will be updated. Team specific messages will be placed in the weekly as we move closer to the season or as pertinent updates occur. Feel free to contact head coaches of the sport of interest, athletic director, or principal with questions.

• CST Coaches/Teams Page: https://www.olatheschools.org/domain/2109
• CST Athletic Director: Krista Dueringer (kdueringercst@olatheschools.org)
• Principal: Rick Sola (rfsola@olatheschools.org)

UPDATED EMAIL MESSAGE SENT AS OF 7:30AM, 8/11/20

Dear CST Parents,

Please see a brief update below regarding sports at the middle school. The info has also been added to the 8/10 Weekly Wildcat and additional CST specific info will be included in the upcoming 8/17 WW. Feel free to reach out to the office or specific coach with questions. You can also find athletic information on our website HERE. We will continue to share any updates or changes we receive.

Thank you,

Rick Sola, principal

Middle School Fall Sports Start Up

With the first day of school delayed until Tuesday, September 8, middle school cross country, volleyball, and football practices will begin on this date as well. Between now and then, athletes need to turn in their required paperwork to the office, including physical and concussion form.

We wanted to provide you with additional information related to football and this upcoming season. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) identified football as high-risk sport, due to its high probability spread of respiratory particles. At their August meeting, the Olathe Board of Education adopted the Johnson County Gating plan, which restricts high-risk sports to no competition, no group travel, and allows practicing/conditioning with modifications – all if in the yellow phase.

(https://www.jocogov.org/sites/default/files/documents/CMO/Reopening%20Schools%20Criteria%202020.pdf).

We will continue to move forward with modified conditioning and practices for football which is allowed by the JCDHE. At this time, due to the current numbers in the county, we will not be playing games. However, we will continue to explore, as numbers allow, football competition opportunities during the fall season.

Finally, the volleyball and cross country competition schedule will be altered due to the delayed start of practice. More information will be forthcoming regarding the final sports schedule.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we navigate this situation.

You should receive an email and a text alerting you of the updated weekly. If you do not have an email we do not have an accurate address. Please contact Melynda Marquardt to be added or verified.

CST Data Operator: Melynda Marquardt (mrmarquardt@olatheschools.org)

• Our office will operate Monday through Thursday, 9am-3pm with calls from 7am-5pm.
  
• We will be implementing a "drop off station" in the front foyer to allow for contact-less drop off/pick up.

• Please call the CST front office with questions--913-780-7240.
  

Receptionist: Chrissy Walters

Assistant Principal's Secretary: Angie Peterson

Attendance Secretary: Connie Bray

Bookkeeper/Principal's Secretary: Andrea Wescott

Data Operator: Melynda Marquardt

School Nurse: Jennifer Ross

Please keep info updated (email, phone number, medical, etc.). Contact the office at 913-780-7240 if you are concerned you may be missing communication or need to update your family's information.